Cornhusker



Aug. 19, 1941. c. E. Kr-:RRv 2,252,933

v CORNHUSKER Filed June 25, 1938 PIE-E ATTORNEY F15-El...

Patented Aug. 19, 1941 Charles E. Kerr, Hoopeston,

Ill., assignor to Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose, Calif., arcorporation of Delaware Application June25, 1938, Serial No.215,887

13 Claims.

`My invention relates to corn huskers and .is concerned more particularly 'with improved means `for preparing the ears o'f corn for the husking operation by ripping for shredding the husks to provide projecting husk portions for engagement by the 'husking means.

The husk ripping 'means of the instant invention is designed to provide for 'effective ripping and 'shredding of the 'husks by operation Yof husk ripping discs which are preferably made 'selfcleaning to enable effective cperationoverfa `long period of use without such fouling lor clogging.

lIt i's la general object 'oi the invention, therefore, 'to provide a corn 'husker 'having improved means for preparing the corn for the lhusking operation.

Another 'object 'of the invention is 'to provide a corn 'husker having improved "husk ripping means which remain` clean and effective vinfoperation during long -pei'iods of use.

Another object of the invention -is to providehusk'ripping means which is "effective with both -small and large ears'of corn.

-Otlie'robjects fthe invention will be evident from the following description of Va .preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawing.

I'n the drawing:

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional elevation loffa 4corn husker embodying 'my invention, 'the .plane'of the view being indicated by the `line `I--I Ain Fig. 2.

"Fig, 2 isa fragmentary plan view of 'the corn husker's'hownin Fig. A1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan View of the 'lower set of ripping discs With the parts 4immediately above 'such discs partially broken'away lto "illustrate the construction more clearly. The View is indicated by theiline '3-'3 .inrFi'g .1.

Fignl is ya vertical section through-the'axesof the ripping `discs,take'n` in-the :plane of thesli-ne rl "in Fig. A1.

The present linvention` is 'preferably embodied in pfafcorn fhusker in which vthe ears of corn are placed yby an operator on "a conveyor with `their buttstowa'rdasidefof the husker. `In the'conveyor,the"ears of-'Toorn areffirst carried-past' butting 1nieansfors`everi'rig 4the butts from'fthe ears ofbor'n, and -then past fhus'k :ripping means for ripping andtearing lloose thewhu'sks from 'the ears of cornfso as to provide .ipro'jecting'husk portions. 'The foonveyor then delivers-the ears of crnto :the husking-'lmeans for the ihusking operation.

i Y-'Preferablygthe corinhuslrerfaccommodatesftwo parallel rows 'of corn which .aresubjected tothe various :operations at the lsame time. However, as thepertnent structure 'ofthe parts relating to the instant `invention `is identical fior `both rows of com, such structure is .illustrated and described withreference 'to 'only one Aof such frows.

The *com `husker includes 'a iframe ID (Figs. 'l and 2') on which .the various elements of the corn '-husker and the Ydriving `means therefor lare mounted. The conveyor tor carrying'the ears of corn past the butting and :husk ripping `means is indicated generally at I I and 'comprises a `series of spaced aparttransverse flights i2 whichextend vacross the .machine -and are supported zat theirendsby similar-parallel chains I.3,Vonly.one of which is shown. Each chain I3 :is trained about respective Vencl sprockets :I4 y(only the rear sprocket 'I4 .being t-shown') which are suitably journalled `on rthe frame so that the upper run of `the conveyor 'III extends substantially :horizontally overa plate or table I6 suitably mounted on the frame.

The rearsprocket lll-foreach chain is secured on a transverse .drive shaft I5 which may 4be driven by suitable drive `*connections from a source vof power, to cause the `flights I2 of the upper run of-the -conveyorto `travel in the direction of the =arrow -in Fig. l. lThe ears 'o'f 'corn in Aeach row :are `placed between the flights I2 with their butt -end-s toward fthe adjacent `side of 'the -husker andare rolled `or carried by the flights I-2 over the vtable v4I6.

As the ears of -oornmove -along the table alli (Figs. 1 and 2) theyare lpositionedfor the butting operation .by `conventional mechanism :1in-

` cluding a presser -arm 20 `pivot-ally mountedat l'vonthe frame IU and carrying aypairof rollers I9 for oating engagementwiththeears of corn. l`-he'rollers` I9 press the ears of corn f against an ear mover Vgear 2 I, which may 'be fof the 4type disclosed in my Aco-pending application, Serial No. 166,990,\flled October 2, 1937. The .gear y2-I operates ina conventional manner to move -each earof Acornlaterally of the conveyor 'to :eng-age thebuttvend of the yearwith .la gauge `2-2, which also fmaybeof conventional construction and serves'to ,positionfthe earof-corn with Vrespect to a pair'of converging-butt severingiknives E23 (Fig. 1) pastwhichthe ears are carried by the flights'l of the conveyor. Asthe ears of corn are Imoved into engagement with the ,butt severing"knivesi23,=a spring-.urged ,presser arm mounted 'on the armf20 servesto hold the ears in liplace iduring# the fbutt :severing operation.

J'After :the buttfsevering operation, "the Aears of andmounted in the machine to operate eiiec-wv tively with both small and large ears of corn and for this purpose the upper set of ripping discs are mounted for floating engagement with the ears of corn, the depth ofthe cut being controlled by guard means which also act to strip the ripp-ing discs and remove any adhering' corn husks or silks therefrom.

Preferably, both the upper and lower sets of ripping means are provided in the form of toothed ripping discs which are power driven in opposite directions sothat their adjacent portions travel in the saine direction andY opposite to the direction of the travel of the ears of corn.

The upper ripping Imeans 26 comprises a pair of spaced apart ripping discs 3| (Figs. 1, 2 and 4) secured at the ends Yof a shaft 32 which is formed integrally with one of the discs. 'The sh'aft'32l is journalled in a boss 33 of a horizontally disposed arm 34, which at its rearward end, has a boss'36 pivotally engaged on a shaft 31 which is suitably journalled on the frame. The ripping'discs 3I are driven from a sprocket 38 on the shaft 31 by a chain 39, and a sprocket 4I) which may be formed integrally with one of the discs 3l. The shaft 31 carries a sprocket V4I which is driven through a chain`42 from a spro'cket 43 on the drive shaft I5 (Fig. 2). Each ripping disc'3l is provided with a plurality of teeth as seen most clearly in Fig. 1, which' are preferably equally spaced apart and driven to travel at their lowest point in a' direction opposite to the travel of the conveyor nights I 2 for the ears of corn.

To control the depth of cut of the ripping discs, guide means are associated therewith for engagement with the ears of corn, such guide means also being constructed to serve as a strip-per for removing loose pieces of husk and silk from the ripping discs. For'this purpose, a slotted stripper and guide plate 46 (Figs. 1 and 2) of generally arcuate contour is pivoted by a pin 41 in a boss 4B of the arm 34 and extends outwardly beneath the arm with its convex surface facing down-* wardly and with the ripping discs 3I projecting through the slots in the plate for engagement with the ears of corn. To control the depth of cut of the ripping discs, an adjustable connection is provided between the guide and stripper plate and the supporting arm therefor, and for-this purpose a central tapped boss 49 is provided in the plate 46 adjacent its right hand end as seen in Fig. wardly from the boss 49 between a pair of spaced ears 52 (Figs. 1 and 2) projecting `outwardlyv from the boss 33. The bolt 5I is secured in place with respect to the ears 52 by a pair of nutsV 53 threaded on the bolt and engaging the opposite sides of the ears 52. As seen in Fig. 4,(the slots in the plate 46 and the ripping .discs 3I are aligned with a pair of .spaced notches 54 in each flight I2 to enable engagement of the ripping discs withV small ears of corn. Preferably the sides of the slots in the plate at the bottom by respective ribs 55. )11.14.1911, ,111.313

l, to receive a bolt 5I which extends up#- 45 may be defined move in and out of the notches 54 in accordance: with size of the ear of corn which is in active position.

From the above description, itis seen that the;- upper ripping discs are mounted for floating en.- gagernent with the ears of corn and include means for controlling the depth of cut of ther ripping discs as well as for cleaning the ripping discs by stripping any loose shreds or husks or: loose silk from the teeth as they withdraw' through the close fitting slots of the guide andi stripper plate.

. The lower ripping means 21 also preferably in cludes ripping discs similar to those described above and which have stripping means to effect:v cleaning` thereof. The lower ripping discs (I` (Figs. 1'3 and 4) are mounted in spaced apart; relation with their shaft 62 (Fig. 4) journalled. in a boss 63 of an arm 64 (Fig. 3), which has a boss 66 pivotally engaged on the shaft I5.

As seen in Fig. 4, discs 6I Vproject upwardly through a pair of aligned close iitting slots in a. plate 6B which is mounted on the frame to form an extension of the table I6. The extent to which the discs project above the plate 68 is controlled by means of a stud 1I (Figs. 1 and 3) secured at its upper end in the table I6 and extending downwardly between a pair of spaced ears 12. on the boss 63. The stud 1I is threaded at its lower end to receive an adjusting nut 13;, and a spring 14 is mounted on the stud 1I between the plate 68 and the ears 12 to maintain vwhich carries the ears of corn between the ripping discs. Preferably, the timing is such that the respective teeth of the ripping discs simul taneously engage an ear of corn between a pair of adjacent flights I 2 of the conveyor. In this manner, the ears of Corn will not turn in passing between the ripping discs. Asrthe teeth of the ripping discs are traveling in the opposite direc-- tion to the ears of corn, they serve to eectively shred and tear away portions of the husks which will project and can be gripped by the husking means. Because ea'ch ripping disc is provided with stripping means formed by the plates 46 and 68 respectively, the ripping means are selfcleaning and can be operated over a long period of time without becoming foul or clogged.

To summarize the operation of the corn husker, the ears ofcorn are placed by the operator with their `putt ends toward the outside of the husker between the nights of the conveyor I I. The conveyor serves to carry the ears of corn past the positioning means including the presser arm 26 and the gauge 22 which determine feeding of the corn in proper position to the butting knives 23.

After the butting operation, the ears of corn are carried between the upper Vand lower ripping discs, the teeth of which simultaneously engage cleaned from the teeth of the ripping discs as :Aftenthe husk 'ripping operation, the .conveyor `carries the earsof corn downwardly `o-respective .setsfoffhusking rmeans zofany suitable construc- `tion :Where the .husks and silk i are strippedA from the earyofcorn, :thezhuskedars being "subsequently` ejected'froml the machine.

While I have shown and described my invention in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that the invention can be embodied in other forms. My invention, therefore, should be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a corn husker, an apertured plate, a conveyor for moving ears of corn over said plate, ripping means including teeth projecting through an aperture in said plate, and means for moving said teeth in a direction opposite to the movement of the ears of corn for ripping engagement with the husks thereof, the walls of said plate dening said aperture being spaced closely adjacent said teeth to effect cleaning of said teeth after engagement thereof with each ear of corn.

2. In a corn husker, a conveyor for moving ears of corn along a path, a rotatable toothed husk ripper mounted adjacent said path for engagement with ears of corn entrained with said conveyor and operable about an axis parallel to the axes of the ears of corn, and means for controlling the depth of cut of said ripper and having edges in closely spaced relation to said ripper to eiect cleaning thereof, said rotatable husk ripper being relatively movable with respect to the controlling means.

3. In a corn husker, a frame, a conveyor movable on said frame to carry ears of corn through a path, an arm pivotally mounted on said frame and extending over said path, a husk ripper journalled in said arm and carried thereby for floating engagement with ears of corn entrained with said conveyor, and means for rotating said ripper about an axis parallel to the axes of the ears of corn including a drive element mounted on said y frame in axial alignment with the pivotal axis of said arm.

4. In a corn husker, a frame, a conveyor movable on said frame tol carry ears of corn along a path, an arm pivotally mounted on said frame and extending over said path, a pluralityof toothed husk ripper discs rotatably carried by said arm for floating engagement with ears of corn entrained with said conveyor, means for rotating said discs about an axis parallel to the' axes of the ears of corn, and guide means on said arm engageable with ears of corn the depth of cut of said discs.

5. In a corn husker, a rotatable husk ripper for engagement with an ear of corn, and a guide stationary member associated with said ripper and provided with a slot through which said ripper projects, said gui-de member engaging the ear of corn for controlling the depth of cut of said ripper and cooperating therewith for eiecting cleaning of said ripper after each engagement thereof with an ear of corn.

for controlling 6. In a corn husker, an apertured plate, a conveyor comprising spaced bars for moving ears of corn in transverse position along a path over said plate, a toothed husk ripping disc projecting upwardly through said-plate into said path, another toothed husk ripping disc mounted in veriii) tical :alignment with .said first named disci-.for .iioating .engagement with ears'of corn entrained iwith :said conveyor, .and means forrotating -said .disc'sxinoppositeldirections about an axis parallel itozkthei axes of `ears .of cornv and in atimed rela- .tion V.whereby theteeththereOt when adjacent :move inthe opposite .directionto an` ear ofcorn and engage an earof corn simultaneously,

.7.. In a corn `huskenan apertured plate,..a-conveyor comprising spaced bars for moving ears of corn in transverse position along a path over said plate, opposed ripping discs mounted above and below said path for engagement with ears of corn moving therealong, each said disc having circumferentially spaced ripping teeth, and means for rotating said discs in opposite directions about an axis parallel to the axes of ears of corn and in a timed relation whereby the teeth thereof when adjacent move in the opposite direction to an ear of corn and engage an ear of corn simultaneously.

8. In a corn husker, a conveyor for moving ears of corn along a path, ripping means including an apertured gauge plate mounted for engagement with said ears and ripping teeth projecting through said plate, means for moving said teeth in a direction opposite to the movement of the ears of corn for ripping engagement with the husks thereof, and means for effecting relative adjustment between said teeth and plate to determine the depth of said ripping engagement.

9. In a corn husker, a conveyor having a series of pusher bars for moving ears of corn in transverse position along a path, a rotatable toothed husk ripper mounted adjacent said path for engagement with ears of corn being advanced by said pusher bars, means for rotating said ripper in a direction to cause its ear engaging teeth to move counter to the direction of advance of the ears, and means associated with said ripper and fixed against rotation therewith for engaging the ears of corn to automatically gauge the depth of cut of said ripper.

l0, In a corn husker, a frame, a conveyor movable on said frame to carry ears of corn along a path, an arm pivotally mounted on said frame and extendinfr over said path, a guide plate mounted on said arm and extending over said path, a plurality of toothed husk ripper disks rotatably carried by said arm, said guide plate being adapted to engage the ears of corn for controlling the depth of ripping engagement of the ripper disks with the ears of corn entrained with said conveyor, and means for driving said disks.

l1. In a corn husker, a conveyor having a series of pusher bars for moving ears of corn in transverse position along a path, a rotatable toothed husk ripper mounted adjacent said path for floating engagement with ears of corn being advanced by said bars, means for rotating said ripper in a direction to cause its ear engaging teeth to move counter to the direction of advance of the ears, means associated with said ripper for floating movement therewith and fixed Y against rotation therewith for engaging the ears of corn to automatically gauge the depth of cut of said ripper, and means for relatively adjusting said disk and ripper to vary the-depth of cut of said ripper.

l2. In a corn husker, a pair of rotatable toothed ripper disks mounted on spaced parallel axes, means for pushing an ear of corn in transverse position between said disks into ripping engagement therewith, means for driving said disks in opposite directions to causetheir ear engaging teeth to move counter to the direction of movement of the ears, and means associated with one of said disks and fixed against rotation therewith for engagement with said ear of corn to control the depth of cut of its associated disk with respect to said ear of corn.

13. In a corn husker, a conveyor for moving ears of corn along a path, a rotatable husk rip- 

